Pentax Pins and Buttons

It wasn't until I got an old 1980's vintage Pentax 70-210 Macro zoom that I was able to capture the speckles, and detail, on the head of these fast moving birds. Or, perhaps it's because I retired from my day job in 2015 and have been shooting hummingbirds daily since. This is a young male Anna's Hummingbird that frequented our yard in late winter 2016.

It had rained all day. At times, the rain was so dense, you couldn't tell that the Grand Canyon was right in front of you. Such is monsoon season in Arizona. In the late afternoon, the clouds broke up and eventually rose above the rim. The sunset was brilliant, with this thunderhead forming, probably over Williams. Shot from the Grand Canyon Lodge - North Rim, with a Pentax 645Z.

If it weren't for the faint stars in the sky, you probably wouldn't believe me when I said this was taken at 10pm under a full moon!

Reflection in motion in this pond was certainly enough for me to stop and take notice but when the duck was floating right through this wonderful abstract I could no longer resist capturing this scene. Alamogordo, New Mexico.

Not much really beats sitting in the pitch darkness, watching the moonlight light the waves and cliffs all around you while you're sitting with like-minded people, having a chat and a nice glass of red!

A view of Manhattan from a factory building, turned artist studios, in Queens. Pentax 67 - Kodak - Tri-X 400

Danbo got a bit scared when he realized his neighbor was a pizza-eating, nunchuk-toting mutant turtle!

The Danbos trekked all day in search of the elusive end of the rainbow. As the sun was beginning to set, they stumbled upon it. In their exhaustion, one collapsed near the source of the rainbow while the other stood and gave thanks to whoever was watching from above. I just thought such cute characters needed a cute story to go with them :)

Typical brothers, arguing over pieces of a destroyed laptop... This is the third in my "I'm a PC, I'm a Mac" Danbo series.

They say, in photography, the light is best at the ends of the day. This early morning shot of a male Allen's Hummingbird exhibits that rule. The light was caught perfectly on his gorget and the top of his head. This was shot with a Pentax K-3 and 1980's vintage smc PENTAX-A ZOOM 1:4 70~210mm F4 lens @ 135mm, f14, 1/1000s, ISO 3200. The ol' lens still has some life in it!

Torches + glass chess set = fun photography, even when it's raining outside!

The Danbos find a very interesting piece of machinery in their backyard. What could it have done to have deserved such treatment? This is my old Sony Vaio laptop. Believe me, it deserved this fate very much--in 2 years, the DVD player, fan, SD card reader, webcam, keyboard, and motherboard all failed, yet Sony would do next to nothing to help me with it (at one point, they told me to just go on YouTube to find instructions on how to take the computer apart and then to try to fix it myself!). I figured after the motherboard died that it would be therapeutic to sledgehammer it to death (after removing all the still-functioning parts), since it cost less at that point to just buy a new computer!

So many flowers, so little time. With pollen on her head and beak, a female Allen's Hummingbird approaches a bright yellow nasturtium flower. In my yard, the hummingbirds prefer the feeders to the flowers, it seems. It took several days of shooting to get this shot. Shot with a Pentax K-3 and SMC-A 35-105mm, f14, 1/640s, ISO 3200.

A female Allen's Hummingbird checks out a zinnia flower in the heat of an early Fall day. This shot was taken at 9:36AM on September 25, 2015. The camera registered an internal temperature of 37C (98.6F). Fortunately, this Pentax K50 shuts itself down when it gets too hot. Good camera. 2015 was a pretty toasty year.

Traces of those who have walked this land before us in their rock art ~ Grant County, New Mexico.

Looming shadows, reflections in the glass...who would have thought a chess game in the dark would be so interesting?

This image of a male Allen's Hummingbird is one of two that have been selected for inclusion in the 'Holiday Small Works' show at the Saga Fine Art gallery in Monrovia, CA, in December, 2015. It was shot using a 1980's vintage Pentax zoom lens at 180mm, f11, 1/1600 sec.

A cicada, whose voice can be heard all over Queensland announcing that it's summer, resting and letting his wings strengthen after he crawled out of his old skin.

Title Bar 01

The clouds in this evening's sunset in Cambria, California, were dispersed enough to create these wonderful pastel colors. Taken with a Pentax 645Z, in the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve in 2014. More California Landscapes can be found at: http://www.mcherderingphotography.com

October is Danbo's favourite time of year in Brisbane because the jacarandas carpet the entire city in purple.

Monsoon season in Arizona can produce some dramatic scenes, like this view from Cape Royal at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. This is a panorama created from 4 shots with a Pentax 645Z.

"Think Green" is the second photographic composite work in my Preservation Series focusing on nature. All photographs in this composite where taken in NM, Cloudcroft, Bosque del Apache and southwest New Mexico. Featured in: Peace, Love & Tranquility - February 6, 2012

This jetty is mid way along the Strand on Townsville's foreshore. Taken on ‎7 ‎July ‎2011 at ‏‎6:51 AM with tripod Camera Pentax K20D F stop - F22 Shutter Speed - 1/10th sec ISO 100 Focal length 27mm (35mm eqiv)

This photo of Cradle Mountain was taken on the 24/08/2005 at 0608hrs looking South across Dove Lake. This panorama is a compilation of seven(7) images SLR Camera: Pentax ist DS Shutter speed: 1/250th F stop: f13 ISO 800

A most spectacular wildflower, the Mexican Prickly Poppy bloom is both flamboyant and delicate, Very commonly found in areas of the southwest USA, this picture was taken in Mimbres Valley, New Mexico.

I was surprised to see this female Allen's Hummingbird stop in mid-air to pick her, er, teeth? Nose maybe? Naw, not in public. I'm sure it was just a bug stuck in her teeth. Yeah, that's it. Shot with a Pentax K-5 and SMC-A 70-210mm, f11, 1/500s, ISO 800.

Taken around midday at the city centre tram stop. Using a K20D Pentax, This city was hit by an earth quake in 22/02/2011

_Fallugia Paradoxa_ - An evergreen desert shrub, the Apache Plume is a member of the Rose family (Rosaceae) and had a wide rage throughout the southwest.

Mule Deer - BryceCanyon USA was taken on 01/01/2007 at 1230 pm Camera -Pentax ist DS Fstop - f6.7 Shutter - 1/250 sec ISO - 200

In a strand of Aspen trees, no mater what time of the year beauty exists. As the Aspens prepare for winter's arrival they drop their leaves, revealing their slender structure and the integrate lacy bare branches, creating an inviting display of lines and brilliant color, bordered with Scrub Oak in this abstract of nature...... Gila National Forest in southwest New Mexico

The Southwestern Red Columbine in among the many wildflowers found in southwest New Mexico, another small wonder of nature..... Current views: 285 Feature in: The Woman Photographer - 6/24/10 100% Group - July 2010 Color Me a Rainbow ~ Black - Sept.14, 2010 Enchanted Flowers - July 24, 2011 One Single Flower - July 24, 2011 Pentax K20D Current views - 285 !http://ih3.redbubble.net/work.5423842.1.papergc,441x415,w,ffffff.v4.jpg! !http://ih0.redbubble.net/work.5423842.1.fp,375x360,black,off_white,box20,s,ffffff.jpg!

An autumn leaf fallen in my yard. Pentax 67 - Kodak Ektar 100

I spotted this lone cruiser leaning on outside the Whole foods of Venice Beach. Pentax 645N - Kodak Ektar 100

Danbo contemplates the meaning of life.

On the Butte ~ Elephant Butte Lake, NM